Newsletter - Fall 2016-17

Reminder: Add Day is Approaching

Just a friendly reminder that the last day for adding courses and removing incompletes is this Friday, October 14th. Please remember to bring your add cards to the Registrar's Office by 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

Electronic Transcripts Now Available

The Office of the Registrar is proud to announce that we are now offering secure electronic (PDF) transcripts through the National Student Clearinghouse.

The processing and delivery fee for electronic transcripts is $4 – the transcript itself remains free. Simply indicate “Yes” when you are asked if you are currently enrolled. You can send official electronic transcripts to other colleges and universities, potential employers, services such as AMCAS and LSAC, or anyone with an email address, including yourself.

Please note: If you still need paper transcripts, do NOT use the link above. Log on to REGIS and use the Request for Official Transcript functionality as you have in the past. There are no changes to that process. In addition, you can still generate your unofficial transcript at any time in REGIS by going to Academic Information and pressing the “Unofficial Transcript” button at the bottom.

We believe that ordering electronic transcripts through the Clearinghouse is easy and fast, and we are happy to provide this new service to our students. If you have any questions about the process, please contact us at regis@caltech.edu or stop by our office during business hours.

Annual Notification of FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records and the Institute is required to notify you of this. These rights include:

The right to inspect and review their education records within 10 days of the day the Institute receives a request for access.

The right to request an amendment to their education records that they believe are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA.

The right to provide written consent before the Institute discloses personally identifiable information from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the Institute to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

Additional information regarding FERPA, including the Public Notification of Directory Information, can be found on the Registrar's FERPA page.

2016-17 Catalog Now Online

Recent Academic Changes

The four-year experience committee made several recommendations this year which are meant to improve the college experience of our undergraduate students. You can view full descriptions of the recent academic changes at http://registrar.caltech.edu/academics/changes, which are highlighted below:

New 12-term residence requirement - A Caltech undergraduate degree is based on a four-year residential experience.

Change in overload limits - An overload is defined as registration for more than 48 units for an undergraduate. Students may take up to 51 units (inclusive) but it requires their adviser's approval for such an overload. To take more units than 51, students will need to petition the undergraduate dean, with the expectation that permission will be granted only in exceptional cases.

Eligibility for registration - Following the first two terms, which are taken on a pass-fail basis, freshmen will be ineligible to register if they failed to pass at least 27 units in the previous term. After the first two terms of study, all undergraduate students must complete 27 units with a grade-point average of at least 1.9 in order to remain eligible to register for classes. In addition, students must earn an average of 36 units per term over each academic year (or three trailing terms if students were not in attendance for the entire academic year) for a total of 108 units.

The new policies reflect better the mission and philosophy of Caltech. The Caltech undergraduate education is a wonderful opportunity to engage with faculty doing research and develop diverse interests outside the classroom, rather than overloading on classwork. The goal of the policy changes is to encourage taking advantage of these opportunities as well as making the Caltech college experience both more balanced and intellectually rewarding.

Excellent TAs from Spring Term

We'd like to congratulate and recognize a couple of outstanding TAs from the past quarter:

Prakriti Paul, TA for Bi 1 - Prakriti is a G2 in Biology. Students appreciated all the extra time she spent preparing study guides and her approach to the recitations. One student stated, "the enthusiasm and passion she had for teaching and her expansive knowledge really made her section a pleasure to be a part of." Another shared, "she showed she cared about the students learning and performing well in the class."

Yubo Su, TA for ACM 95/100b - Yubo earned his BS in Physics and CS this past June. In addition to being declared by many as one of the 'best' and 'fantastic' TAs at Caltech, students urged Yubo to pursue teaching after Caltech. "He really saved my life (and grade) in this class with his unique office hours and review sessions for the midterm and final. Definitely went above and beyond all the other TAs by preparing material for office hours rather than just knowing how to answer questions."

Thanks, Prakriti and Yubo, for making a difference in the academic lives of our students. We appreciate all the time, effort and enthusiasm you put into your work with students.

Student Voting Guide for California

Students can establish voting residency in the college community in which they live if they intend to remain there for the time being and do not plan to move back to a previous address. They are not required to intend to live at that address indefinitely or after graduation to gain voter residency. Check out the Student Voting Guide for California (PDF) for details. To vote in the general election on November 8th in California, you must register to vote by October 24, 2016. Click the button to the right to register online!

Student Calendars available in REGIS

Students can view a grid calendar of their current class schedules in Regis. Simply click on Course Enrollment, navigate to the 2nd tab called Course Enrollment, and hit the Print Calendar button :

Important Dates

October 14

Last day for adding courses and removing incompletes

October 26 - November 1

Midterm examination period

November 7

Midterm Deficiency Notices due - 9:00 a.m.

November 16

Last day to drop classes or to exercise your P/F option

November 17

First day of registration for winter term

November 24-25

Thanksgiving (Institute Holiday)

December 2

Last day of classes and last day to register for winter term without a $50 late fee